ProstiTots

Did anybody else watch Boston Legal last nite? A mother wanted to sue the "family-oriented" department store for selling Tarties. Tarties are fictionalized versions of Bratz dolls. The mom called them "ProstiTots" which is dead-on appropriate. Sometime last month, the Sunday paper had an article titled "Are We Sending the Wrong Message?", also citing Bratz dolls. Then I turn on the computer and this article is on the front cover of MSN.com

Dave and I initially wanted a boy, then a girl. We got two boys. That's fine, had a moment or two of... I don't know, not disappointment but... a little bummed? Of course, we couldn't be happier with the way things turned out and when I think about it, yeah, thank fate we didn't have any girls. I am so not a girl-mom. I would never buy Barbie. I'd let the daughter collect her allowance and buy her own if she had to have them. However, I would never let a Bratz doll of any kind into our house.

Have ya seen 'em?? They are these little, scantily clad, overly make-upped, trashy looking things. That's all well and good. They have cars and little play night clubs so you've got to figure them to be at least 21. When you're 21 you can wear whatever you like. But then they came out with Baby Bratz.

They were marketed as being the Bratz girls when they were babies. Hmmm. The dolls are tiny babies wearing diapers, midriff-baring tops (some with pierced belly buttons), sassy hair and tons of make-up. The company has just succeeded in selling these wildly popular, completely sexualized baby girl dolls. It makes me nauseous. They have Bratz tots now too. In case the sexy baby is too young for your taste and you prefer your sexy girl to be at least 2 years old. And the news article has the nerve to ask "are we sending the wrong message"??

This article defends Bratz over Barbie by saying how Barbie is white and has limited career and man choices and Bratz are ethnic and represent individuality and more realistic body shapes. The Bratz dolls brought in about 100 million dollars last year, Barbie stilled topped out at about 2 billion worldwide. Personally, I think they both suck as role models/toys for girls. Even when I was a girl, I never like Barbie. Loved her cars and her shoes but she seemed so weird to me. My mom is a curvy, pretty woman who rarely wore make-up.

At the spa I used to work at, they cut hair for Locks of Love . One day I was getting my hair cut the same day an 11 year old girl was getting hers cut for this organization. The hairdresser asked the girl how she wanted her hair done, like Brittany Spears or like Pink? The girl said she wanted neither, that neither one of those girls was a good role model. She proceeded to explain the haircut she wanted, comparing it to no one, just saying, "Short, layered, no bangs please." Her mom was standing behind her smiling proudly. And rightly so. Girls like that (and the moms who raise them) give me hope.

Still, though, glad to have boys, Ruth!